NPR News Now - NPR News: 05-28-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: May 28, 2025

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Politics is a lot these days. I'm Sarah McCammon, a co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast, and I'll be the first to tell you what happens in Washington definitely demands some decoding. That's why our show makes politics as easy as possible to wrap your head around. Join us as we make politics make sense on the NPR Politics Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar has been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Netanyahu did not say where he was killed.

Mohammed Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, who Israel says planned the October 7th, 2023 attacks on southern Israel. Yahya Sinwar was killed last fall, and his younger brother, Mohammed, became a senior Hamas commander in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel says its air force has struck the main airport in the capital of Yemen. That's after Iranian-backed Houthi forces, who control much of Yemen, have repeatedly fired missiles at Israel in recent weeks. As NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv, Israel blames Iran.

Israel's defense minister says Israeli fighter jets have struck the Sana'a airport and destroyed the last remaining airplane in use by the Houthi rebels. In recent weeks, the Houthis have fired missiles toward central Israel, saying they're aiming at Israel's international airport to protest Israel's assault in Gaza. A Houthi missile hit near the Tel Aviv airport this month, and many airlines continue to suspend flights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is responsible. The show of force, with Israeli warplanes reaching as far as Yemen, could serve as a

message to Iran. The New York Times reports Netanyahu has threatened to strike Iranian nuclear sites and upend U.S. talks with Iran. Netanyahu called the report fake news. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. The State Department is planning to do a more thorough screening of the social media posts of international students who want to come to the U.S. That's according to a diplomatic cable NPR has seen.

It calls for extra vigilance in the student visa process. The change means this could make it harder for international students to make appointments at consulates around the world to apply for U.S. visas. The Senate is reviewing the multi-trillion-dollar government spending bill that cuts taxes and social services. The nonprofit Congressional Budget Office estimates millions of people will lose health care coverage under Medicaid. Noam Levy tells us feelings are complicated about this in one Arizona county. Noam Levy, Ph.D. Like a lot of rural places around America, Gila County, Arizona has become

increasingly dependent in recent years on government health insurance like Medicaid. But many people in this copper mining center in the mountains east of Phoenix also say there's plenty of waste that should be trimmed. Debbie Cox works at a property management company. She has tenants who rely on Medicaid, she says. It's not that I don't see the need for it. I see the need for it literally on a weekly basis. But I also see a need for revamping it significantly because it's been taken advantage of for so

long. How many people are actually taking advantage of Medicaid and how much waste there is are hotly debated. That debate will be front and center as the Senate prepares to take up the House GOP plan. That's Noam Levy with our partner KFF Health News. On Wall Street, the Dow is lower. It's down by about 81 points. You're listening to NPR.

The West African nation of Namibia is marking its first genocide remembrance day today with a candlelight vigil in front of parliament. Kate Bartlett reports the new public holiday commemorates a genocide of indigenous people by German colonizers. German colonizers killed more than 70,000 people from the Herero and Nama communities between 1904 and 1908. At the time, Namibia was called South West Africa and was under German occupation. The extermination campaign started after those communities fought back against German rule. Many were sent to concentration camps where they were subjected to hard labour and died

from exhaustion and starvation. In 2021, Germany acknowledged committing genocide in Namibia and announced one point three billion dollars in financial aid for the country. However, many activists rejected this because it failed to include a formal apology and reparations. Negotiations are ongoing. For NPR News, I'm Kate Butler in Johannesburg. The private company SpaceX launched its ninth Starship rocket yesterday. The massive rocket blasted off well from southern Texas, but it later broke apart.

Officials say it may have been lost high over the Indian Ocean. A group of climate scientists is going to launch a 100-hour livestream event today. The group says the event is nonpartisan. It's going to highlight the value that climate science brings to Americans and people worldwide. This live stream will last through Sunday, June 1st. That is also the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News from Washington. Conductor Robert Fron says a good melody captures our attention. NPR News from Washington.